Ortiz stays hot as Red Sox down Astros

Boston, MA (Sports Network) - Felix Doubront pitched into the seventh inning
and David Ortiz continued his prolific start to the season at the plate by
driving in three runs, as the Boston Red Sox downed the Houston Astros, 8-4,
at Fenway Park.

Dubront (3-0) gave up four hits and three runs over 6 2/3 innings. The Venezuelan lefty also walked four batters and had eight strikeouts.

Ortiz, who went 2-for-3, has a 19-game hitting streak going back to last
season. That is tied for his career-best (July 17 - Aug. 6, 2002 with
Minnesota). Ortiz, who was sidelined at the start of this season due to a
right Achilles injury, is hitting .519 so far in 2013.

Jacoby Ellsbury hit a two-run single as the Red Sox won their fourth in a row
and moved to the brink of sweeping this four-game series.

Brad Peacock (1-3) allowed six hits and five runs over 3 1/3 innings. He also
walked five batters.

Chris Carter walked with the bases loaded in the first inning and Ronny Cedeno
followed with a sacrifice fly. Dubront escaped another bases-loaded jam when
Matt Dominguez popped out and Marwin Gonzalez fanned to end the first.

Boston then scored four times in the second and led the rest of the way to
hand the Astros their sixth defeat in eight games.

Ellsbury hit a bases-loaded single to center to score Jarrod Saltalamacchia
and Will Middlebrooks. Later, Ortiz roped a two-run double to the left-field
corner.

Ortiz added a sacrifice fly in the fourth.

Jose Altuve's groundout plated a run in the top of the seventh, but Junichi
Tazawa came in from the bullpen to quell a possible rally.

Stephen Drew singled in Saltalamacchia in the home seventh. Daniel Nava and
Dustin Pedroia added RBI base hits in the frame.

Dominguez singled in Carlos Pena in the eighth. The Astros filled the bases
later in the frame, but Alex Wilson struck out pinch-hitter Rick Ankiel
to cap the inning.

Game Notes
The Reds Sox have won 14 of their last 19 contests ... Boston is 12-3 since
the start of a season-long seven-game win streak from April 13-20 ... The Red
Sox have won six of their first eight series of this season ... Houston went
1-for-12 with men in scoring position and stranded 10 base runners.